WAILUKU–One year after the Aug. 8, 2023, fires, there were a total of 204,596 visitors that came to Maui throughout the month of August 2024. A recent report from the state shows there is growth in tourism numbers in general compared to last year and on Maui, but visitation is still down from pre pandemic numbers.

“The August 2024 visitor data demonstrates the resiliency of Hawai’i’s people and communities,” said Hawai’i Tourism Authority Interim President and CEO Daniel Nāho’opi’i. “We are acutely focused on stabilizing our international markets and supporting Maui in its recovery as we encourage travelers to return and support local businesses statewide.”

The number of visitors last month marks a significant increase from August 2023, when 113,771 total visitors came to Maui. The increase marks a 79.8% year-over increase, but is still down from August 2019, when 273,638 visitors came to the island.

“A year after the wildfires, there has been great progress but there is still much left to be done in rebuilding Lahaina and the surrounding areas,” said DBEDT Director James Kunane Tokioka. “We have quite a way to go to reach pre-pandemic levels for Maui, but we will continue to coordinate efforts with the public and private sectors and community partners.”

The August visitor numbers from last month on Maui represent a -25.2% decrease compared to August 2019 visits, according to the State of Hawaii Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) preliminary statistics.

The DBEDT reported Maui visitor spending increased to $366.0 million in August 2024, compared to $242.3 million (+51.1%) in August 2023 and $404.7 million (-9.6%) in August 2019.

The average daily count of visitors on Maui was 47,766 last month, compared to 28,927 visitors (+65.1%) in August of 2023 and 64,553 visitors (-26.0%) in August of 2019.

In the first eight months of 2024, there were 1,574,325 visitors to Maui compared to 1,907,527 visitors (-17.5%) in the first eight months of 2023 and 2,104,005 visitors (-25.2%) in the first eight months of 2019, according to the DBEDT.

For the first eight months of 2024, total visitor spending totaled an estimated $3.52 billion, compared to $4.41 billion (-20.3%) in the first eight months of 2023 and $3.52 billion (0.0%) in the first eight months of 2019.

“August 2024’s visitor statistics highlight the continued challenges in our post-wildfire recovery, especially as compared to August 2022,” said Hawai’i Visitors and Convention Bureau President & CEO Aaron Salā. “However, this data also underscores the powerful impact of our strategic initiatives in revitalizing Hawai’i’s tourism industry. The success of our recent Los Angeles Market Activation demonstrates the critical role of targeted efforts in addressing market shifts and driving recovery.”

According to DBEDT, Hawaii last month saw total visitor arrivals represent an 88.4% recovery compared to pre-pandemic August 2019. Total visitor spending last month was higher than in August of 2019 ($1.50 billion, +14.7%).

According to the DBEDT, there were a total of 819,152 visitors to the Hawaiian Islands in August 2024. That’s up 6.4% from the same month last year. Total visitor spending measured in nominal dollars for the month was $1.72 billion, a growth of 11.4% from August 2023.

The full report can be seen at: https://dbedt.hawaii.gov/blog/24-46/.